The world's smallest toothpick sculptures

A San Francisco artist has spent the past 39 years perfecting the art of toothpick modeling, a genre we can safely say he now has the authority on.

Steven Backman took up the unusual hobby at just five years old when he made a house out of toothpicks and glue. His initial attempt at mastering the medium didn't end too well, with young Backman managing to spear himself with one of his own tools.

Surprisingly, he couldn't be dissuaded. "I'm the kind of person who enjoys seeing things being built,"

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Backman told Wired.co.uk. "As a child, I would take items apart and put them back together again. I like using toothpicks in my creations because they are like tiny building blocks. Each one is different and takes on a unique characteristic. It gives me the chance to use my imagination in creating something totally different than anything other people make."

His designs range from a 30,000-toothpick-strong replica of the Golden Gate Bridge to a 60-toothpick 2D portrait of Buzz Aldrin. He uses only toothpicks and glue, bending each one into shape with a pair of pliers.

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Gallery: The world's smallest toothpick sculptures

ByLiat Clark

As if the task of creating something beautiful from such an ordinary and unlikely object were not already enough of a challenge, Backman has decided to move into miniatures. He's already designed an impossibly tiny model of the Eiffel Tower from just one toothpick, and accompanying that is a miniscule copy of the White House -- less than a third of one toothpick in length -- and the Empire State Building, standing at around a tenth of the width of one toothpick.

How does he achieve these microscopic feats? According to Backman, it's down to his "essence of patience" and 39 years in business. As such, imitating his 13ft-long Golden Gate Bridge model -- a two and a half year undertaking -- is pretty much impossible for anyone starting out with just a few weeks practice under their belts. However, as we reported in April last year, one Californian might be up to the challenge. Scott Weaver's San Francisco replica featuring the Golden Gate Bridge took up 3,000 hours and 100,000 toothpicks -- however he's yet to get the art of miniatures nailed down.

Backman on the other hand, is keen to keep pushing his art forward. After the success of his yacht model -- a 4.5ft radio controlled boat -- Backman is deep in plans to build a working toothpick car and is hunting for a sponsor to help put his vision in place. Rather cryptically, he also admitted: "I am currently working on a piece that is related to royalty -- it's a surprise!"

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A toothpick portrait of Prince William and Kate Middleton would definitely make a welcome change from the usual commemorative mug...

Click on the gallery below for more of Backman's incredible toothpick designs along with the stats on how they were built.